How can I reuse or recycle wooden pallets?

I always thought wooden transport pallets were one of those things that were reused ad infinitum – or at least until they fall apart – because of those “pallets wanted” signs around industrial-type estates near motorway or, say, the docks in Liverpool (somewhere we frequent more than most people because ooh! cool industrial stuff!). But lately, I’ve started to see them dumped around various places, suggesting it’s not worth people’s bother to take them to one of those “wanted” place.

(Tsk, people, eh? The worst is the dozen or so I saw dumped down the road from us last night – one road down from a household waste site. I guess they either didn’t want to wait for it to open, didn’t want to have to pay to leave them there or didn’t want to find somewhere to take them for reuse even though they clearly had a truck to get them there in the first place. Grr.)

Anyway, reusing them. John’s dad reclaimed the wood from a couple of old pallets to make a fence for his brother’s garden. I’ve also heard about cleaner, nicer ones being spruced up a bit (sanded to remove the roughest bits and varnished) to make a futon base.

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55 Responses to “How can I reuse or recycle wooden pallets?”

There is a young man in Colorado who commercially makes fine furniture from pallets. He is so good a chain hotel hired to make over 300 end tables for their hotel in Philadelphia.
If you look at the wood from the pallet as just short lengths of wood, NOT a pallet, I’m sure anyone can come up with a myriad of ideas. Oh yes, don’t forget shipping crates, like those used for motorcycles, they have longer pieces of wood.

I have seen patterns in a book on how to make a tool shed, play house, etc out of the wooden pallets. My husband and I heat our house with wood, and stack our wood on the flat pallets. It keeps the wood dry and up off the ground.

We’ve just had a woodburning stove delivered here, and it came on a pallet. We’re chopping it small for kindling – it’s not good enough to burn in larger chunks, but it will be great for kindling as it isn’t planed smooth

I’ve used them to make monster recycling bins. Painted with wood preserver they look just as good as a commercial bin that would cost 60+ pounds. I use three pallets for the rear and sides, and then build the front so that 9in timbers can be slotted in as the pile builds. We’ve got three bins sat next to each other to enable compost to be cycled as it matures. Thanks, Stephen

I’ve used pallet wood for CD shelving. Used bog standard (cheap) metal brackets, painted them, stuck them on so the shelves are about an inch away from the wall, and the CDs overhang the shelf by about another inch. Looks really good and uncluttered.

Put an ad in one of your local papers. Or on Craigslist. Most offer free come and get it ads.
Here in Rochester, NY I get around 6 per week at our store. We try to save them to return to our distributor. But there are guys that will gladly come and get them to be sold back to pallet reclaimers. Some of the pallets we get we have to pay a deposit on the be sure we send them back.

I am building a shed/chicken coop out of pallets for the walls and floor fastened together with 4×4 which fit perfectly with a standard pallet, I got the idea from a design firm which has suggested that refugee housing can be built with the pallets that have brought in supplies.

Umm… Hardwood floors anyone? You would have to plane the top surface. Then, put a tongue and groove edge on these short boards, match widths, nail them down and you have a very nice floor. Just a thought.

hi you said woodfloors?
my husband and i are trying to find a site where they give directions on how to do this we wanta rustic charm look for the kitchen. can you help with a site or your own directions thank you

I’ve used pallets for a multitude of projects. I built my wood crib out of a few longer ones (about 6 feet) which I have no idea what they were made for but they had been discarded. This saved me over a $100 in wood alone.

I hate it when people burn them for a camp fire, there’s always alot of nails left on the ground which my tires seem to find.

Anyone interested in seting up use for 175 lbs oak kilm dried pallets please contact. Solid, non damaged and 4×4 runners. 6 by 4 ft. We have 220 on-hand and can supply 20 per week, will sasve for truck loads. A waste to make firewood out of unless someone wishes to purchase cheap. 145 new to purchase. looking for something around 25 each.

Rain chains. Make a rain chain and attach to a gutter. Attach a reyclyed hose or any other tubing to the very bottom. Run the tubing into the dirt in the planter. When it rains, the rain in the gutter will be directed into the planter and the rain itself will water from the top.

I use them for stalls in the barn. Screw them together, and they make a nice wall. I also lay them on the floor for the hay. I have made a hay rack, but that idea needs some work. I tried a round pen, but that needs work too. I plan to lay them on the floor so the animals won’t get their feet wet.

i have a number of blue pallets dose this mean any thing i have been told that these are least out to firms but not shore can any one shine any light on this i do ask the driver when i have stuff delivered to take back but they say i am not meant to take back with me thank you

I can’t seem to find the link now, but I remember seeing something from either Readymade or Instructables for a wood pallet bike stand- propped up vertically with the front tires slid into the open slats. I’m considering doing it at my house- my boyfriend’s a cyclist and has 4 bikes of his own, plus my one bike, geeze.

I have a 4000 dollar special saw that cuts pallets and I sell the wood for firewood and I have cut up approximately 35000 pallets…Look at the wood and trees saved….and NO. ….pallets are NOT TREATED to prevent rot….at least the ones i get from the paper and food industry

I recently made a nice hard wood chair from a pallet [they are normally made from a cheap hardwood]also a cover in the style of a beehive to hide my pond filter and a tray to cover my drain access which sits in a raised garden and is then filled with woodchip to disquise.Very good for many garden applications as it will take many years to rot.